Working it Out
by seabiscuit0810
Summary: kel story...bullies, and all that jazz from my ideas of how it should go. possible romance later? i'm open for suggestions! actually, i love suggestions! lol. please review! first tortall fic, please give me a break! (ok, not that much of a break)


**a.n. this is my first tortall fic, so be nice. it's harder to write than my other fic is, but it will get better. i think the plot's going to go in a good direction...eventually. no, jk, it's going to get interesting soon.**

**

* * *

**

_Disclaimer: all the characters and setting belongs to the genius tamora pierce. plot ideas are from her, but the plot is written by **me.**_

"Work it out yourself Kel" Roald said. "The palace guard won't be any help with the bullies."

"Roald, it's not fair to do this to us first years. As I've said before and probably will say again, I will do the work you and Cleon and the like give me. That's fine. What Joren and Zahir and them are doing is dead wrong. It's not right to treat a page like a slave. We're here to learn to fight, not to be a slave," Kel finished, and looked at Roald for approval. He nodded slowly, then shook his head as if to clear it.

"Kel, if that's what you want to do, find a way to stop them" Roald slowly spoke, "Then I'll help you find a way to do it."

"Thanks Roald."

A bell tolled somewhere high above the palace. Both pages looked at each other, bemused that they'd spent the last hour arguing in the middle of the hallway. They hurriedly ran towards the library to start working on their lessons.

* * *

"Kel! Finally! We all need help with math," Neal proclaimed, "How do you solve (x-4)²+(x+10)²36?"

"Mithros only knows, why do you boys always come to me with math problems?" Kel exasperatedly asked. She was only joking. If she didn't help them with their math, they wouldn't help her with her history.

"Because you're the only one who even remotely knows how to do them," Neal patiently explained. "And if you don't, we won't help you with history.

Kel winced. "You found my weak spot boys. Fine, I'll help you." This was untrue, she thought to herself. I have a few other weaknesses. Some of them are sitting right in front of me.

"Boys," Kel began.

"We're not boys!" Neal indignantly exclaimed.

"What are you then, sheep?" retorted Kel. This brought about heavy guffaws from the gathered boys.

"As I was saying before this lovely lady interrupted me, we're not boys. Some of us are big enough to be men."

"As I was saying before Page Meathead interrupted, you begin by using FOIL on the two sets of parentheses. Add it together and solve for x, okay?"

"Kel, why can't you just give us the answers?" Faleron complained as the boys began trying to solve the problem.

"Faleron, if you ever become a commander and need to calculate supplies for the men under your command, you'll thank me" Kel dryly answered.

"Maybe you should be the commander Kel? You're good at math, and at bossing people around. And leading them," Owen added in an afterthought.

"Yeah, somehow you got all of us to listen to you," Cleon added, "And I don't listen to anyone!"

"Maybe it's because she has, you know, you-know-whats" Seaver wickedly suggested.

"You boys are being crude" Kel replied, "Maybe I'll stop helping you with your math." Cries of protest filled the room as Kel gathered her books and walked toward the door. At the doorway, she stopped and called back, "If you all want help with your math, help me with my project."

Everybody chorused, "What project?"

Roald, unnoticed in a corner writing a letter to his betrothed, Princess Shinkokami, spoke up.

"Her crusade to stop bullying." Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"WHAT?" Then they transferred their gaze to Kel. Merric said what they all wanted to say.

"But, you're The Girl! Joren and them will pound you to a bloody pulp and say they didn't do it!" Merric protested.

"Well, do you guys know how you could help me?" Kel said.

"How? Not by beating them up with you, right?" Cleon questioned.

"Well, yeah, that's what I was thinking…" Kel's voice trailed off. Seeing panicked looks on their faces, she said, "I won't help you with math unless you help me."

The boys conferred in a huddle, then stood in front of Kel. Neal spoke.

"Kel, we'd be honored to, well, help you beat Joren's gang into a bloody pulp, as Merric said."

**a.n. so, is it ok? ok, now click on the little purple-ish periwinkle-ish box down there! make the sugar-high author happy! will give reviewers...um, chocolate bunnies! **


End file.
